Attending an Anti Gasser Meeting With An Open Mind

Jan. 15, 2011

Written by

Victor Furman

Reader Submitted

I and others from Binghamton traveled 3 hours one way on this past Friday night to an event in a town In Sullivan County Pennsylvania where the guest speakers where listed as gas Industry Experts, and Dr. A. Ingraffea and Dr. Engelder, The Sautners from Dimock PA, and Josh Fox who did not show, as it was stated it interfered with Joshs plans to fly to England the next day. "Seems like they would have known this since they announced it was a planed trip and many were there to hear him.

Dr. A. Ingraffea and Dr. Engelder are Both prominent and respected individuals in the field of Hydro Fracturing. I went only after being asked to several times and being assured this was not an anti gas meeting but a public forum designed to educate and give the public some learned knowledge, as to enable the public to make up their own minds concerning issue's over gas drilling.

A mediator started the forum by asking and implying that a few simple considerations be adhered to.

1) Turn your cell phones to vibrate or just turn them off. "said the mediator"

Everybody complied as I heard no phones

2) Josh Fox will not be here tonight. "said the mediator" because he is flying to England in the morning.

He was a main draw for many, How could they not have known this?

3) There are highly respected speakers here on both sides of the debate "said the mediator" Please refrain from making comments and hold your questions until the end of the presentation. At this time I would like to present Dr. Engelder.

I could go on from this point and tell you what I thought of the presentation by Dr. Engelder but I can't because I would talk as a pro gas environmentalist and I did not stay for the entire event in all fairness to Dr. Ingraffea. "Let me explain why"

Well into Dr. Engelder's presentation people in the front row started hollering expletives. Interrupting the presentation and bringing it to a halt.

Dr.Engelder was not there getting paid for his time, but as a service to the community,

I do not blame Dr. Engelder for stating the obnoxiously irate man in the front apparently had more important information then the Dr. himself as he surrendered the microphone to the mediator and ended his presentation. In fact I would like to say Bravo to the Good Dr. Englender for not willing to be a participant in this public display of idiocy imposed on the attending members of the audience, by a few people who were at odds with hearing a side of the gas issue that interfered with their beliefs.

But there is more

Arriving to the meeting place in this small town in PA their were familiar faces to me. No one was disrespectful in fact "just the opposite" and prior to the start of this meeting. I started to ask people in general conversation where they were from and many where community members which I was glad to hear.

It soon became apparent to me that this "was an anti gas meeting" and let me tell you why.

While sitting in the back of the auditorium waiting for the event to start, I was given a paper with the heading Save Our State' on it. I took it and asked what it was for, I was told it was a petition to stop the leasing of state lands. ( I somewhat agree that public lands should not be used for industry of any type but that being said what I was told next floored me)

quote:

" sign your name and as many as you can think of and don't worry, we have a team that will be inputting the names on an electronic petition"

Amazing I thought to myself a padded petition ?

The other clue that I was not at a forum for both sides of the drilling issue was the prop in the middle of the stage on a table all by itself

' That all too familiar 1/2 filled gallon bottle of brown water the Sautners carry to most of there events for the last 2.5 years.

When seeing this jug I turned to the person next to me and asked this question,

If they were solids (TDS) in that water jug that has been sitting there on that table for the last two hours, would those solids not have separated and floated to the bottom of the jug by now ? The person asked agreed that they should have.

The lesson I have walked away from here is that education comes in many forms, be it through a single teacher or an entire school itself. But if you attend a forum such as this, the education will be not found in what is said or who says it, but rather in the honesty and presentation of the forum itself. This particular forum in my viewpoint, was a lie to start with that sucked many people into it with the hopes of hearing a responsible view and overlook at gas drilling but instead got more of the same. It would be nice to have an open, perhaps televised forum, with equal representation from both sides were we could all walk away with a better understanding of the natural gas issue that will effect our community greatly wether we drill or not..